Welcome to Canadian Studies!

The Canadian Studies program at Brock University came into being some 40 years ago, in the wake of a landmark report commissioned by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada: “To Know Ourselves: Report of the Commission on Canadian Studies” (1976). This sweeping report offered thousands of recommendations on a wide range of topics, but one of its lasting achievements had to do with encouraging Canadian universities to embrace the study of Canada in all its complexity, from as many perspectives as possible.

As this report’s title suggests, the goal was for Canadians to actually get “to know ourselves”—to reach a deeper, nuanced understanding of what Canada is, where Canada came from, what its most pressing and significant issues are today, and where Canada is going.

In many ways, it is this goal—“to know ourselves”—that continues to drive Canadian Studies at Brock. We believe that Canada will benefit if more people—Canadians and non-Canadians alike—truly understand Canada. We’ve developed a unique trans-faculty program in order to achieve this vision. Our program is also highly interdisciplinary, drawing from numerous fields—History, Political Science, English, Geography, Labour Studies, Communication, Music, Sociology, Indigenous Studies, Film, Women’s and Gender Studies, and so on—in order to provide this well-rounded understanding of Canada.

Over the years, Canadian Studies has always been an active and dynamic program, as well. We organize two major conferences every year: Two Days of Canada, which gathers faculty members, independent scholars, graduate students, and others to present and discuss research on a different topic each year (recent topics have included Education, Rural Canada, Sports, Canadian Screens, and Queer Canada); and Comparative Borders (formerly Crossing Borders), which provides undergraduate students from Canada and the United States an opportunity to present their research on border issues of all kinds. We also host public lectures, film screenings, and other events throughout the year.

We are Canadian Studies. We are CANADA STRONG in the best sense possible: committed to Canada, curious about Canada, dedicated to reaching a deeper understanding of Canada. To truly know ourselves, right?

Anthony Kinik, PhD (he/him)
Associate Professor, Film Studies
Director, Centre for Canadian Studies